Improvement in syllabication of words



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CAMPBELL ALLEN, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN SYLLABICATION OF' WORDS.

Specification forming part of Letters` Patent No. 146,631, lated January 20, 1874; application liled May 6, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CAMPBELL ALLEN, ot"` the city and county of Albany, in the State of tate instruction in reading the English lan guage, and to enable the learner, whether he be a child or a foreigner' learning to read English, to spell and pronounce for himself Words ot' two or more syllables which itis difficult for him to do correctly, unless the syllabication and accentuation are in some way indicated.

The usual method of indicating the proper syllabication is by separating the syllables from each other byaspace, which method is liable to several objections. The extended space required renders the spacing methodimpracticable, except for spelling-books and the simplest juvenile books and publications. The appearance of the page with all the words of two or more syllables thus spaced is not desirable, and, above all, the form of the word as ordinarily printed, with which form it is of y the utmost importance that the learner should become familiar, is completely broken up by the spacing between the syllables, which gives the word the appearance of several nionosyllabic words, so that in practice pupils who easily pronounce polysyllabic words when spaced oli into syllables, have difficulty in recognizing the same words in the ordinary form.

This invention is designed to indicate the syllabication by a method not liable to these objections, and at the same time to indicate the accentuation.

My invention consists in designating the syllabication by the use of a dot or other mi nnte mark placed under or over the iinal .letter of each syllable except the last, or the rst letter of each syllable except the trst, or under or over the space between the last letter of one syllable and the first letter ofthe next. I prefer, but donot confine myself to, a dot or other minute mark placed under the nal letter ot' each syllable except the last, unless the last syllable is accented, in which case I place a mark under the last letterof it also.

ATo designate the accentuation, I use a mark under the accented syllable of a diiierent form from that used under the unaccented syllables. These marks may be of any convenient forni.

In the accompanying drawing, which forms part otl this speciiication, the accented syllables' are designated by a comma placed under the last letter, while the unaccented syllables have a period.

The printing may be performed, as in the drawing, by thel use of quadrats and connnon punctuation-marks, in which case the designating-marks may be brought as near to the letters as may be desired by using type without any shoulder onthe lower side. In practice, however, I prefer to use type cast for the purpose having the designating-niark in connection with the letter in one and the same piece, which peculiarity in the construction ot' type for the purpose or purposes designated it is my intent-ion to make application for sep-` arate Letters Patent.

What is here claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is-

'lhe method of indicating the syllabication of words, and accentuation otl their syllables, in printed publications by means ot' marks ar ranged in relation with their syllables in the manner substantially as herein described.

CAMPBELL ALLEN.

Witnesses JN0. TEMPLETON, WM. S. SHEPARD. 

